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This is the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the American giant’s attempt at taking on Tesla at its own electric-cars game. It leverages the legendary Mustang badge, but interprets that car’s styling on a crossover frame, making it the cleanest and most practical Mustang yet produced. It is expected to go on sale in 2021, making it the first full electric vehicle (EV) Ford will sell in Europe.
What will its rivals be?
The obvious competition comes from the Tesla Model X, but you could also classify the Mercedes-Benz EQC and Audi e-tron as rivals, while an EV SUV very similar in outlook – i.e. a sporty electric family vehicle – is the Jaguar I-Pace. More alternatives, such as fully electric Skodas and BMW’s iX3, will also be forthcoming soon.
Any tech info?
Ford is going to build the Mustang Mach-E on an all-new electric platform called Global Electric 2 (GE2), which shares parts with more conventional vehicles like the Kuga and the Focus. There will be a choice of two motor arrangements, either a single unit with rear-wheel drive or a twin-motor set-up with four-wheel drive, and two battery packs – one rated at 75kWh and the other at 99kWh. Single-motor Mach-Es will have anything between 255-290hp, while the twin-motor models will generate between 255-355hp. Ford says it will develop a top-spec GT version in time, with 460hp (the same as a petrol-powered V8 Mustang Coupe) and 830Nm (much more than a petrol-powered V8 Mustang Coupe). While regular Mach-Es will run 0-100km/h in around seven or eight seconds, the GT is supposedly capable of dipping beneath four seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint. Practically speaking, the Mustang Mach-E has a 402-litre rear boot and then a 100-litre ‘front trunk’, or frunk, for storing items.
What will the range be like?
While no official figures are yet confirmed, Ford says the single-motor Mach-E models will do around 450km on the 75kWh battery, with the twin-motor AWD versions managing 420km, with the maximum range said to be 600km for a 99kWh single-motor variant. Ford has made the Mach-E’s batteries liquid-cooled, so they will be compatible with the fastest 150kW chargers currently available – meaning replenishment of the battery pack should be a rapid affair on the Mustang crossover EV.
Expectations?
Immense, if tempered by the use of the much-loved Mustang name in the Mach-E’s nomenclature. The Mustang has always been an affordable muscle car, usually powered by a V8 petrol, so to see the ‘Pony’ badge on an EV is a leap too far for some. But if Ford can execute the Mach-E right, it could be a hugely successful new model for the American firm.